Almost Gone: Forgotten Lies and Remembered Truths
by luckyducky09
Summary: A powerful Warlock mad at Angel casts a powerful spell undoing all of the memories created or written over. Nobody remembers Dawn expect for Angel and Spike the same thing with Connor. Buffy also remembers everything that happened in IWRY.
1. Forgotten

**Almost Gone: Forgotten Lies and Remembered Truths**

**Disclaimer: **I'm not Joss Whedon or David Greenwalt and therefore am not connected to _Angel _or _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _in any way, though I wish I were.

**Summary:** AU story Angel season 5. A powerful Warlock looking for any way to hurt Angel does an extremely power spell which causes big problems for Connor, Dawn, Buffy, and Angel of course is also affected. Buffy now remembers everything that happened between her and Angel in 'I Will Remember You' and understandably is full of mixed emotions. All the memories the monks created when they sent her to Buffy for protection are gone and while she remembers everything that has happened to her, no one remembers her. All of Connor's friends and family have no memory of him and he now has both sets of memories the ones that were created and the ones that actually happened. Now Angel must deal with all of these problems before things get any worse.

Angel, President and C.E.O. of Wolfram & Hart was sitting in his apartment, several floors above from where he worked all day watching t.v. when his cell phone suddenly rang startling him. As he got up off the couch to get his phone he read the name displayed across the screen _Buffy Summers _with the little cell phone icon next to her name. He quickly picked it up off the counter and flipped it open answering it. "Please, you have to help me." A familiar voice he quickly recognized as Dawn's said into his phone. "Dawn?" Angel said sensing the panic in her voice as she continued, "Angel, you know who I am?" Angel would have laughed but he had never heard such a serious voice in almost 100 years. "What are talking about Dawn? Of course I know who you are." Angel said into his cell phone now wide awake. "Something's wrong, they don't remember me." Angel heard the voice of Dawn in his phone which was on speaker phone as he got into his elevator pushing the button that would return him to the office floor of the building. "What do you they don't remember you?" Angel asked confused by what Dawn was trying to tell him.

"Nobody remembers me. When I woke up this morning I was in my bed like always and when I walked out of my room and headed downstairs I saw Buffy and I said 'Morning Buffy' and she freaked and was like, 'Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house'" Dawn continued as Angel stepped out the elevator seeing Wesley walking around the halls mumbling to himself about something. "Dawn, where are you now?" Angel said into the phone startling Wesley who hadn't heard the elevator doors up and Angel step out. "I don't know, Angel, please you have to hurry, before I got away, Buff--Buffy stabbed me. There's a lot of blood." Angel could hear the young girl panicking and wasn't sure how to find her. He'd forgotten his speakerphone was on and Wesley had heard every word Dawn had said. Wesley quickly approached Angel.

"Angel what's going on?" Wesley asked Angel. "Dawn, where did after you left the house and got away from Buffy?" Angel asked ignoring Wesley at first then looking up and saying, "I'm not sure yet." "That's the thing Angel, I never left the house. Buffy stabbed me and then this light surrounded me and I disappeared then came back a few seconds later only I wasn't in the house anymore." "Dawn, I need you to describe to me where you are now anything you can think of that might help me find you." There was silence on the phone as Dawn looked around then began describing what she saw, "Angel, I think it's an old hotel. It looks like a lobby; except all the furniture is all dusty." Angel tried to help her, "Okay, Dawn that was good but I need something more to go on. Look for a door or something with a sign on it, anything that will narrow it down." A few seconds later Angel and Wesley heard a scream then an 'Oh my God' before Dawn came back to the phone and started talking again "Angel I found an old business card with a lobster on it. Hold on there's writing" Angel heard her blow the dust off the card then she continued, "I think there's blood on it but it looks like _Angel Investigations. _Whoa" Dawn said as she suddenly became very dizzy had could hardly stand up.

Angel knew something was wrong because Dawn wasn't talking anymore. "Dawn, how are you doing?" Angel asked not knowing if he'd get a response or what it would be if he did get one. "Please, Angel help me." Dawn said into the phone as she became increasingly dizzy.

Angel heard her fall to the floor just before he got disconnected. His phone now had _Call Ended _displayed across the screen. "Wesley, come on, looks like were going back to the old offices." Angel said to Wesley as he closed his phone and placed it in his pocket. Angel had already grabbed his leather duster and was now was putting it on as they stepped into the elevator and pressed the _G _button for ground. Wesley quickly got out his radio and said, "We need an escort at the front door." A voice came on the other end as the elevator came to a stop and the doors slowly opened and said, "When?" Angel said "now" as he stepped out of the elevator and Wesley did the same after Angel was out. One of the several security guards standing said, "There's an SUV ready sir, where will you heading?" as he reached the doors and opened them allowing Angel and Wesley to step out of the building. "The Hyperion Hotel" Angel said as the guard opened the back door as Angel and Wesley approached. Both men quickly entered the SUV and the guard closed the door and got into the driver's seat. 10 seconds later they were on the street headed for the hotel. Angel could only hope he would get there before Dawn bleed to death.

As the SUV sped down the highway Angel stared out the window as Wesley studied him before finally speaking, "So, you know this young girl?" Angel turned his head, now facing Wesley and answered, "Yeah you could say that. I've got some history with her sister." Wesley then asked, "Who's her sister, Angel?" "Buffy" was all Angel said and all he really needed to say. They both sat in silence the remainder of the ride which was only a few minutes. The SUV slowed to a stop as it reached the front doors of the hotel and Angel bolted out the car door and ran into the Hyperion.

TBC please let me know what you think of it so far.


	2. Little Bit

Chapter Two: Little Bit

"Dawn, where are you?" Angel shouted as he ran into the once familiar but now vacant lobby of the Hyperion Hotel, his base of operations for three years. Wesley followed him in and reached for the familiar spot of the light switch on the wall, not thinking that the building was now abandoned but was shockingly surprised when he hit the switch and the lights flickered on.

Now that Angel could see better he was quickly able to find the fresh blood he had smelled the moment he had first walked in the doors.

Angel was somewhat surprised at how powerful Dawn's blood felt. But as he thought about it he remembered that the monks had created Dawn from the blood of a slayer, so naturally it would be very powerful. It would also explain at least to some degree why it smelled a lot like Buffy's blood. Angel was so caught up in his own thoughts he had temporally forgotten about continuing his search for Dawn. Luckily Wesley had continued and he found her. "Angel, she's over here." Wesley said as soon as he saw the young girl lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood.

Angel ran over to where Wesley was standing and saw Dawn as soon as he reached Wes. He bent down to check for a pulse and was extremely surprised to find a fairly strong pulse. Angel carefully picked up the now unconscious Dawn and turned to Wes as he headed for the doors of the Hyperion.

"Wes, call medical, I want them ready when we get there." Angel said as he carried Dawn out to the SUV. Wesley got out his cell phone and pressed a button for speed dial. As soon as he heard a voice on the other end he began speaking, "This is Wyndom-Pryce, I'll be back in about 10 minutes with a young girl suffering from a severe blood loss due to a stab wound. Have medical on stand-by."

10 minutes later the SUV arrived back at Wolfram & Hart and Angel got out quickly still carrying Dawn. He rushed her over to medical where they were already waiting for him. They took Dawn out of his hands and put her down on the gurney. A few minutes later she was rushed into emergency surgery.

Angel went out to the waiting room and sat down in one of those hard plastic chairs that so many waiting rooms seem to have. Angel was lost in his own thoughts, mainly about how or who could have down this. He didn't even notice Spike appear next to him until Spike began talking, "Captain Forehead, you know, you're covered in blood right?" Angel looked up to see Spike standing in front of him. He answered, "Yeah, Spike I know, I'm gonna get changed as soon as Dawn's out of surgery." Angel hadn't even realized he'd said 'Dawn' and at first, neither did Spike.

"Hold on, did you say Dawn?" Spike asked concern and anger showing on his face. "Yes I said Dawn, Spike." Angel replied honestly. Spike was furious by now, "What happened to her Angel? Tell me, I want to hunt down the bastard that hurt Little Bit." Angel remembered that Spike usually called Dawn either 'Little Bit' or 'Nibblet' and that was when he realized Spike remembered her.

"Wait, a minute, Spike, you remember Dawn?" Angel asked wanting to be sure. Spike replied, "What are you goin' on about, Poof. Of course, I remember the little Nibblet. Why wouldn't I?" Angel shook his head in confusion before beginning to explain what little info he had to Spike.

"I'm not sure yet, Spike. All I know so far is I got a call from Dawn a little while ago telling me something was wrong, that Buffy didn't remember her. I'm missing most of the details but something happened when Dawn woke up and went downstairs. She had good morning to Buffy and Buffy apparently freaked, having no memory of Dawn. I'm not sure what all happened but I think Buffy stabbed Dawn and somehow Dawn ended up in Los Angeles. So far that's all we know."

Spike was now extremely mad how could Buffy hurt her own sister. He wanted details, he wanted everything, full story, witnesses, everything. "Oh, that's all you know, is it? Buffy's little sis shows up in town, bleeding to death and that's all you got?" Spike said angrily.

"Look Spike, I want answers just as bad as you do, but I really don't see how yelling at me is going to help." Angel said back at Spike.

"Do you know if she's out of danger yet?" Spike asked now calm and concerned. "No, as soon as we got her here she was rushed into surgery. They've only been in there a few minutes and the doctor Wes talked to said depending on the severity of the damage the surgery could last hours." Angel answered. Angel sighed and Spike sat down in a chair a few feet away from Angel's.

"It doesn't make sense." Spike said suddenly as Angel looked over to him, "What doesn't?" he asked for once actually curious what Spike meant. "Why would Buffy stab Bit, even if she didn't remember Dawn was her kid sis?" Spike explained. "I don't know Spike." Angel told him as he got his cell phone out of his pocket and opened it.

"Who you callin'?" Spike asked when he noticed Angel take out his cell phone. "Willow" Angel replied as he finished dialing the familiar number. Spike shut up when he realized Angel had the speaker phone on and he could hear what Red was saying.

The phone rang twice before some man he didn't recognize answered the phone, "Hello, Summers' residence, this is An--" Spike and Angel heard on the speaker phone before Angel cut him off, "Is Willow there?" he asked the man. "Yeah but she's--" the male voice said as Spike recognized the voice as Andrew's. "Put her on, now…please." Angel said interrupting the man again.

Both vampires heard the Andrew put down the phone and yell, "Willow, there's some rude guy who wants to talk to you." A few seconds later they heard Willow say, "Thanks Andrew, I got it." As she picked up the phone and said, "Hello, this is Willow." "Willow, it's me" Angel said glancing over at Spike who remained silent now.

"Hey, Angel what's going on?" Willow asked. "Actually, I was hoping I could talk to Dawn is she around?" Angel asked casually. When Spike heard what Angel had said he spoke unaware Willow could hear him, "Why are you asking Red about Bit, Poof? You know big sis doesn't remember her."

"Angel, nobody named Dawn lives here, was that Spike?" She said as she realized why the voice sounded so familiar.

"Uh" Angel says before quickly covering the phone with his hand and asks Spike, "What should I tell her?" Spike shrugs and says, "You were the one who thought Red would remember Dawn, you figure something to tell her." Angel rolled his eyes and says, "No, I mean about you! What do I tell her about you? She heard your voice?"

"Make something up, because Slayer's not gonna find out I'm back or I'll get somebody to do something bad to you." Spike said unable to come up with a better answer.

"No, that wasn't Spike, it was Wesley's cousin from uh-- his part of England."

Although Willow didn't believe the story for a second she knew there was more pressing things at the moment so she didn't say anything.

While on the phone with Willow Angel got another call so he told Willow, "Willow, I'm getting another call, I'll have to call you back later. Bye." And then he ended that call and answered the other one, "Hello?" Angel said.

"Something's wrong with my parents, Angel." Angel heard the sound of his son's voice coming from the other end of the call. "Connor?" Angel asked confused. "Please, you have to help me, something happened with my mom and my other dad and I have all my old memories back." Connor's voice rang through Angel head like a bad dream or something. "Okay, Connor, just tell me what happened." Angel said trying to calm down his son.

"I don't know I was up in my room studying and I got hungry so I went downstairs and my dad, well I guess my fake dad, he didn't remember me. Then my real memories came back and I ran out of the house. I'm not sure exactly but somehow I ended up at the Hyperion Hotel. There's a bunch of blood on the floor and its fresh and it smells really strong." Connor said. "I know, Connor, I'll come get you. I'll be there in about 20 minutes, just wait there." Angel said and then hung up the phone.

"So Angel if I didn't know better I'd say there's a pattern here, this is the second person tonight who's had memories that were created disappear. The first one was Dawn, the love of your life's sister, who's the second one?" Spike asked for once without adding any of his usual rude or smart ass comments.

"He's my son." Was the last thing Angel said as he exited the waiting room and got into one of his cars and drove off to the Hyperion Hotel.

To Be Continued: Hopefully in a few days or a week at the most.

Sorry for the long wait I've been busy with work and then got a writer's block. Please let me know what you think of the new chapter.


	3. You're Alive

**Chapter Three: You're Alive**

* * *

"Your son? What the bloody hell do you mean this kid is your son?" Spike asked when he heard Angel's remark.

"You know Spike it's really not a difficult concept to understand; Connor's my son, I'm his father, that's it." Angel said mocking Spike's stupid comment.

"Ha, ha very funny but that's not what I meant. How can you have a son?" Spike asked Angel.

"Long story, Spike; one that I don't have time to explain right now, I have to go pick up my son. Stay here in case Dawn wake's up and I should be back in 40 minutes." Angel said before walking away from Spike and heading to the nearest elevator.

A few seconds later the doors opened and he pressed the 'G' button to get to his collection of cars in the underground parking lot.

Angel got into the fastest car and sped out of the garage heading for the Hyperion. He'd actually gotten there in 13 minutes because the car was so fast…and he'd run a few red lights.

"Connor!" Angel shouted as he ran into the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel.

Connor got up from the couch he was sitting on when he heard Angel calling for him.

"Over here dad, I'm fine" Connor shouted back when he smelled fear coming from the other room.

Angel followed the sound of Connor's voice and found him a few seconds later.

"Connor, thank god you're okay." Angel said as he ran over to him and hugged him.

"Yeah, that's great. Listen dad, I know you're glad to see me but do you think we could lay off with the hugging until I get used the fact you're my dad seeing how I've only known a few hours." Connor said causing Angel to quickly let go of him.

"Right, sorry. We should go back to Wolfram & Hart before something bad ha--" Angel started when suddenly he felt strange making him stop.

"Something's coming" Connor suddenly said feeling _it _too.

"Listen Connor, I know this is all new to you but when we get back to the offices I'll talk to you--explain what I can about you're abilities." Angel told his son while they both silently were searching for the source of there senses that were on high already.

"Yeah, okay." Connor said as he headed for the door where Angel had just begun walking towards.

* * *

Meanwhile at Wolfram & Hart Spike was waiting in Dawn's room next to her bed. She had gotten out of surgery less than 3 minutes after Angel left and he'd been with her ever sense. He'd talked to her doctor briefly and the doctor told him that they'd stopped all the bleeding and she could wake up at any time.

He hadn't even thought about the fact that Dawn didn't even know he was back; he was too busy worrying about her and trying to figure out why Buffy would stab her. Spike was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice Dawn slowly regain consciousness and open her eyes.

"Sp-Spike, is that you?" Dawn said immediately drawing Spike out of his thoughts.

"Dawn, you're awake." Spike said as he quickly moved over to get closer to her.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Dawn asked him.

"No, Bit, you're not dead, why would you say that?" Spike asked trying to keep himself from crying.

"Because you're here…and--and you're dead…so that means I'm dead too, right?" Dawn said as she began crying.

"No, Niblet. Listen to me… you … are… alive." Spike said.

"Then how can you be here and where is _here _anyway?" Dawn asked when he looked around the room and realized she wasn't in Rome anymore.

"This--this is Los Angeles-- Wolfram & Hart to be more specific." Spike told her finally grabbing her full attention.

"Something happened, didn't it? Why else would we be at Wolfram & Hart and how else could you even be here." Dawn said to Spike.

"Right, I almost forgot about that part, Bit. I've been back for a while now. Fred told me that I was brought back 19 days after we closed the Hellmouth for good; at least the Sunnydale one anyway." Spike admitted to Dawn unable to look at her as he spoke.

Dawn got uncomfortable and rolled over onto her side, the side she'd gotten stabbed in, and suddenly screamed in pain.

"Dawn, what's wrong? Was it something I said?" Spike asked her before he was fully aware that she'd rolled onto her stab wound.

"My side, its killing me, it feels like I was stabbed." Dawn said which worried Spike when he realized she didn't remember Buffy had stabbed her.

"Let me see it, Bit." Spike said as he got out of his chair and turned her back over onto her back making her scream again.

When Spike looked there was a pool of blood where she had just been and he quickly pressed the call button several times then returned his attention to Dawn.

"Spike, you were right." Dawn said as she slowly lost more blood, unaware of that she was even bleeding.

"Yeah, is that so, what about?" Spike asked her trying to keep her busy while so she wouldn't see the blood.

"About what you told me before, that I was alive. There's no way anything could hurt this much if I was dead." Dawn said as Spike turned his head away from her towards the door when he saw a nurse run into the room.

"Sir, did you press the call button?" The nurse asked Spike out of breath.

"Yeah, 'bout bloody time you got here. Something happened; I think she may have ripped some stitches or something." Spike said as he pointed to the blood soaked bed.

The nurse looked down to where Spike had pointed and shouted out for a doctor to 'come quick'. A minute later several doctors came running into Dawn's room pushing Spike out of their way.

Spike was in a daze now and the last thing he remembered was one of the doctors saying, "Let's go, someone call the O.R. and tell them we're on our way."

Angel and Connor were driving through the vacant moon lit streets in silence.

"Do you ever get used to it?" Connor asked Angel breaking the almost eerie silence in the car.

"Used to what?" Angel asked him. "Used to being able to smell fear, smell blood miles away, near someone's heart beating even though you don't see anyone who has a heart beat around." Connor clarified.

"Connor, I want you to know that I'm sorry for everything you've gone through, especially recently. You know when you were first born there were so many things I wanted to do with you; to teach you. I was gonna be a great dad and then things change. But if there's one thing I've learned from being around 250 years its that everything happens for a reason. You may not want to believe this, but I believe that there is a reason why the altered memories vanished just like there's also a reason why you got you're old ones back." Angel told Connor as they pulled into the parking garage.

As Angel and Connor reached Medical, Angel noticed the department was very active. There was a doctor talking to Spike and Angel smelled fresh blood, Dawn's blood but didn't see her.

They walked over to where Spike and the doctor were exchanging words, rather loudly. "I already told you, I don't know what the bloody hell happened you ponce. One minute we're talking about Sunnyhell and the next minute she's bleeding. Maybe if you guys had fixed her right the first time you wouldn't need to be looking for someone to blame this on." Spike yelled at the doctor, who didn't say anything.

"Spike, what the hell is going on? Why does it smell like Dawn's blood in here? Did she just get out of surgery or something?" Angel asked as he gestured to Connor to sit down as this might take a while.

"Dawn came out of surgery a few minutes after you left to go pick up Junior. She woke up about 10 minutes after that and we talked, after she got over the initial fact that I've been back for months and nobody knew. Then she turned onto her side and ripped something, reopening her wounds. They took her up to surgery a few minutes ago to repair the damage and look for any more that they may have missed." Spike told Angel blankly.

* * *

TBC please Read and Review. Next chapter will be up shortly, hopefully. I know many of you are wondering when Buffy is going to appear and the answer is… chapter 4 or 5 at the latest I promise. I'd love to know what you think of this chapter, so please tell me. 


	4. Untimely Arrivals

Chapter Four: Untimely Arrivals

"The doctors let you see her right after she came out of surgery?" Angel asked Spike surprised doctors, even Wolfram & Hart ones, would let that happen.

"Well, not exactly mate." Spike said to Angel.

"Do I even want to know what you meant by that?" Angel said in return.

"Beats me but I'll tell you anyway; out of the goodness of my heart--" Spike started when Angel interrupted him.

"There's nothing _good _about _your _heart, other than you don't need it and it doesn't beat. Trust me the way you drink and the stuff you eat, you'd have been dead along time ago if you still needed it." Angel said.

"Yeah, right, anyway like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted; the docs told me that no one was allowed to see Dawn, your orders, especially Wolfram & Hart employees. So I told the bloody retard that I sure as hell didn't work for this company and I don't take orders from _anyone, _especially you." Spike said before pausing and letting breathing in an unnecessary breath or two and letting it back out, loudly.

Angel rolled his eyes and Spike continued.

"Alright the Cliff Notes version is I threatened to kill anyone who tried to stop me from seeing Bit so they let me in, but had a couple of security guards stand outside the door." Spike finished up.

"How did I know that I didn't want to know how you got in there?" Angel asked more to himself than Spike, but of course Spike heard him and decided to answer.

"Well, let's see: one you know me too well and two because you would've done the exact same thing if you were in my shoes." Spike informed Angel.

"Whatever, Spike. Just do me a favor: stay here and wait for any news on Dawn's surgery and come find me if there's anything new." Angel said turning to where Spike had been leaning on the wall seconds earlier only to find Spike gone.

He heard Spike across the room and when Angel turned around he saw Spike talking to Connor.

"So Junior; the name's Spike." Spike said to Connor.

"You're a vampire." Connor stated after a few seconds.

"Yeah, right; I'm a vampire. Now that we've talked all about me let's talk a bit about you. For starters: who's your mother, how old are you, and why the hell hasn't anyone told me about you." Spike said in the annoying way he seems to turn everything around.

"I don't know much about my mother, she died giving birth to me. I never got to meet her at least for real, anyway. I'm 19 and the best I figure nobody told you about me because nobody wanted _you _to know." Connor states boldly as Angel approaches them.

"That's a nice one, Junior. I can see you take after you're old man…in more than one way." Spike said not caring Angel was right next to them.

Ignoring Angel, Spike continued, "You know he _really _is an old man, you know. He's 250. So, that means that he was 231 when you were born; you know that's kinda sick if you think about it."

"Spike, please, for once, shut up. And for you're information I was 248 when he was born, but good job with the math there, I wasn't sure if you could do it." Angel said to Spike.

Spike opened his mouth to speak but Angel continued before Spike got the chance, "Go! I want to know what's going on with Dawn when I get back. Tell the guys that I'm in my apartment and to come up when they all get here."

Spike rolled his eyes and muttered something to himself as he walked away.

"Come on, Connor. I have a lot of things I should tell you about before the others get here." Angel said to his son before heading to an elevator with Connor close behind him.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about, Angel?" Connor asked once they reached Angel's apartment and had gotten off of the elevator.

"You know, just stuff really." Angel began sounding much more pathetic than he had intended it to come out. "Do you have any questions… about anything now that you have your memories back?" Angel asked calmly.

"No, not really; I get it. I understand why you did it…and I'm grateful. I just can't believe how I'm going to tell my parents about--" Connor began before cutting himself off, obviously still dealing with the fact his parents, his friends, no one remembered him.

Angel saw his son's obvious pain over losing his family for the first time since he'd gotten his phone call.

"Connor, I want you to listen to me. I'm gonna find a way to fix this, I promise. I don't know how yet, but I swear to you, I'll find a way." Angel told his son right before his cell phone rang.

Angel got the phone out of his pocket and quickly answered, "Angel" into it while still watching his son who had walked over to the window.

As Connor gazed out the window at the beautiful scenery below him he could hear his father's voice across the room saying, "Slow down, Willow. I don't understand what you're saying. What do you mean she's coming here--She what? Are you sure that's what she said? Yeah, well thanks for the heads up. Oh, you're coming too? Are you sure she was _that _mad at me? Yeah, okay, I'll be here for a while so I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding me. Bye." Angel finished his conversation and Connor returned to his dad.

"Who was that, dad?" Connor asked noticing Angel had a strange look on his face

"Uh, that was Willow, she's an old friend. She's actually an extremely powerful witch and she was just calling to tell me she's stopping by for a visit." Angel informed his son, leaving out the part about how Willow was just along for the ride and that Buffy was really the one coming to visit.

"Is Willow coming to visit you or is she coming along with Buffy who's coming for a visit?" Connor asked suddenly causing Angel to stop dead in his tracks.

"How do you know about--" Angel began before Connor interrupted him.

"I got my memories back, including the part where Willow and Faith came to the hotel to help capture and re-ensoul you." Connor stated honestly as he stared his father in the eyes.

"Right, you're a smart kid, I'll give you that. And yes, Buffy is the one coming for the visit which according to Willow isn't going to be a friendly and pleasant one." Angel told Connor as he put his cell phone back in his pocket.

"I know you have things to do, dad so you can start doing them anytime now." Connor said breaking into a smile as he glanced up at his father…again.

"Are you sure you'll be okay because if not I can stay here and we can talk some more or whatever you want to do." Angel asked his son who sat down on the couch in front of his TV.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, I think I'll just chill on the couch and watch some TV if that's okay with you." Connor said as he reclined the couch and put his feet up.

"Yeah, that's fine with me. Do you need anything before I go?" Angel asked his son who seemed distracted as he glanced around the room like he was searching for something.

"Yeah, you got the remote somewhere around here?" Connor asked his dad.

Angel nodded and walked over to the side table next to the couch and opened the drawer, reached in it, and pulled out the remote a minute later, handing it to his son.

"Great, I'm good to go now. Thanks dad." Connor said as he turned on the TV.

Angel nodded quietly and walked into his private elevator and went back down to Wolfram & Hart's lobby.

The elevator doors opened and just as Angel went to step out into the lobby he knew something was _off_. It only took him a fraction of a second to realize that Buffy was there, he could feel her. He quickly looked up and saw several clients laying in pieces on the lobby floor; they'd all been decapitated…recently.

When Angel stepped out of the elevator he heard a commotion coming from Wesley's office. As he got closer Angel recognized several voices including Buffy's and Willow's.

"Last chance, where the hell is he, Wesley?" Buffy's angry voice echoed out of Wesley's office.

"I already told you Buffy I don't know where Angel went." Wesley's voice also traveled to Angel who continued towards Wesley's office.

"Buffy, you can't kill Wesley he's human!" Angel heard Willow's panicked voice seconds before he reached Wesley's office.

"You wanna bet, Willow. I know that you know where he is so--" Buffy said before Angel interrupted her by clearing his throat.

Buffy quickly put Wesley back on the ground and turned around to see who had interrupted her from the doorway.

As soon as she realized it was Angel she quickly strode over to him and began shouting at him before anyone had a chance to react.

"You lying son of a bitch!" Buffy yelled as she punched him in the face sending him flying several feet across the hallway, and slamming into a wall.

TBC: Please R & R. Well, I promised Buffy would be in this chapter and she was yah! She'll be a major character in future chapters now and Dawn will become one as well.


	5. Chapter 5

A note from the Author:

I just wanted to let you guys know that I have chapter five written but it's been so long since I updated I wanted to know if you guys want me to post it and continue with this story. If enough people review saying they do want me to continue the story I'll post the next chapter by the end of the day today, at the latest.

Also, I'd like to apologize for not updating this story in months. There's no excuse other than my life comes before my stories unfortunately. I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed my story and even those who have read it and I hope with your approvals, I'll be able to continue my story soon.


	6. I'll never forget, Yeah Right!

**Chapter Five:** "I'll Never Forget", Yeah Right!

**A/N:** I realize that even without her memories Buffy wouldn't just stab Dawn and there is a reason why I put that in there, and it's not just because I felt like it. Also, I'm sorry this chapter took so long, hopefully it will be worth the wait. Asfor answeringsome of the mostcommon questions in the reviews: No, Lindsey won't be appearing, no this won't be a Spike/Dawn and yes, this will possibly become a Dawn/Connor in later chapters, but it may just be friendship or strong friendship.

**A/N:** I am so sorry I haven't updated in forever. Hopefully, I'll be able to update more often, that is, if you guys want me to keep going with this story once I get back from my vacation. I'm leaving June 26th and getting back on July 18. But if you guys can convince me I might be able to squeeze one or if you guys really, really, want me to, two chapters in before I leave. I can type fast, about 100 wpm (words per minute) and I've got a general idea and what's coming next so it really is up to you guys. Anyway, enough of my ranting and enjoy the next chapter of "Almost Gone: Forgotten Lies and Remembered Truths"

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Willow, Wesley, and Gunn, who was also in the room at the time quickly followed Buffy out as she chased after Angel even though he was making no effort to get up from where she'd thrown him. 

Willow was the first person besides Buffy to see that the reason Angel was making no effect to get up was because he was knocked out.

Angel's cell phone rang and Gunn quickly went over and got it out of his pocket answering it, "Angel's busy, this is Gunn" as he cautiously stepped away from Buffy who was watching Angel carefully.

Gunn didn't realize the speaker phone was on until it was too late to stop Spike who was calling.

"Charlie Boy, what is Angel doing that's so busy he can't answer his own phone?" Spike asked Gunn also unaware that everyone in the room could hear him.

"Actually, he sort of got thrown across a room into a wall and knocked out." Gunn said noticing everyone in the room was now watching him, expect for Angel of course.

"Who did it Charlie Boy? Who sent Captain Forehead flying into a wall? I'm gonna buy them a pint, they just bloody made my--" Spike said into the phone unaware Buffy was listening to every word he was saying.

Suddenly Buffy grabbed the phone from out of Gunn's hand and interrupted Spike mid sentence saying, "I did Spike. And if you don't shut-up and get your ass down here you're gonna be in much worse shape than Angel."

Wesley noticed that Buffy was just about to hang up the phone so he stopped her, taking the phone away from her, despite all the glares she was giving him.

"Spike, why were you calling Angel's cell phone? Is there something you wanted to tell us--" Wesley began before Spike unintentionally interrupted everyone…again.

"Listen, Dawn, can't you see that I'm on the phone right now?" Spike's voice echoed through the entire room where the cell phone was.

Buffy quickly ran into a nearby office and puked in the trash can when she heard Spike's voice say the name "Dawn". She remembered Dawn was the name of that girl who she'd stabbed because she claimed to be her sister.

She emerged a few minutes later and headed for Angel's private elevator ignoring everything and everyone around her; finally the doors opened and she walked inside of them and they began to close.

Then out of nowhere Angel appeared and put his hand in the elevator doors, causing them to reopen and he also stepped inside.

The elevator doors closed and the elevator fell silent for a moment before Angel spoke up.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're so pissed off or do I have to guess?" Angel asked right before the elevator doors slid open and Buffy walked out and into Angel's penthouse. Angel followed her only he was moving slower and limping slightly. Connor was using one of Angel's swords in the living room when they arrived. "Connor? What are you doing? I thought you were watching TV?" Angel asked almost angrily. "Well, I figured if I asked you if I could play with you swords, you'd say 'no, they are too dangerous' or something, so I pretended to be watching the TV until you left." Connor told his father.

Angel nodded gestured for her to sit down. Connor followed and Angel noticed Buffy roll her eyes. "Listen Connor, why don't you go downstairs for a while? I think Buffy needs to talk to me alone." Angel suggested. "But dad--" "Listen, I know I promised that we'd talk and we will, but right now, I need to help Buffy." Angel told his son. "Can I go find something to kill?" Connor asked. "Yeah, just be careful. And don't kill any clients or employees." Angel told him. Connor smiled and said "sweet" as he got into the elevator and left.

"Strange kid, but I hope you know that once my problems are fixed you and me--we're gonna have another nice long chat about him." Buffy told Angel as she sat down. "Yeah, I know." Angel said. "I'm sorry I knocked you out, but at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do." Buffy began. "Why?" Angel asked. "I got my memory back." Buffy said simply. "I wasn't aware that you'd lost it Buffy." Angel told her. "Alright, let me try again, remember when I came to L.A. after I found out you'd been following me around behind my back in Sunnydale? I remember everything that happened, like you getting turned human." Buffy said. "Oh, those memories." Angel said.

"Just explain one thing to me Angel, one thing that I think I deserve the right to have an answer to." Buffy said angrily. "What do you want to know?" Angel asked. "That night, you went to see the Oracles without telling me first. Why? What were you afraid I was going to do if I knew?" Buffy asked calmly. Angel paused for a minute, trying to think of how he was going to explain it to Buffy, Angel finally said, "I was afraid that if I came here first and told you what my plans were, I wouldn't be able to go through with them. That I'd realize how perfectly happy I was with you and I knew when I went to the Oracles we could never have that again."

Buffy sat down on Angel's couch and thought for several minutes about what Angel said. "Do you ever think about what would've happened if you hadn't gone to the Oracles?" Buffy asked. "Everyday." Angel replied. "Sorry I knocked you out. It was a long flight and I hadn't hit anything in hours." Buffy said. "It's alright, the brief period of unconsciousness was the best sleep I've gotten in weeks." Angel said smiling, for the first time in months.

"Want to go out for a patrol in the city of Angels?" Angel asked after a moment. "Mind if we bring your son? I wanna see how he fights." Buffy asked. "Okay, I'll go get him, if you go get my favorite sword." Angel said. "Where do you keep your weapons?" Buffy asked. "In my office. Follow me." Angel said as he walked over to his elevator and stepped in. Buffy followed Angel into the elevator and stood next to him as the doors slid shut and the elevator 'dinged' as it began its descent to Angel's office.

The elevator doors began to open but then slid back shut quickly and without warning. Angel pushed the open button and after waiting a few seconds Buffy tried, again with no result. Then the elevator lights went out and a few seconds later the emergancy lights came out and they could hear the alarm going off. "Angel, what does that mean?" Buffy asked. "That somebody or something has broken into the building." Angel replied simply.

"That happen often?" Buffy asked, noticing the fact Angel didn't seem too surprised. "More than I care to admit." Angel answered. A few seconds later the alarm stopped and Buffy noticed the change in Angel's facial expression. "It's a good thing they turned off that stupid alarm, it was starting it get on my nerves." Buffy said. "No, that's not a good thing Buffy, that's a really bad thing." Angel said. "Why?" Buffy asked confused. "Because that means we lost security too." Angel explained. "Oh" Buffy said simply, not really knowing what else to say.

The elevator was silent for a few moments until Angel's cell phone rang, making both him and Buffy jump slightly. "Angel" Angel said answering his phone. "Hold on a sec, Wes, I'm gonna put you on speaker." Angel said into his phone and then pressed a button. Then he said, "Go on Wes." Wesley cleared his throat and then said, "Power's out in the entire building but at least there aren't any ninjas attacking." Buffy gave Angel a quizzical look and he whispered, "Long story, I'll explain later." Buffy nodded and then Angel said, "Wes, our power doesn't go out for no reason and same goes for our security."

"I'm well aware of that Angel but I can't figure out where whoever this is, is trying to get to, or what they're trying to accomplish." Wesley said. "By the way, where are you anyway?" Wesley asked a few seconds later. "Buffy and I are stuck in my private elevator." Angel explained. After Angel thought about how Wesley said nobody seemed to be attacking anyone for a minute, he glanced briefly at Buffy and then it clicked. "Wes, get down to Medical, they're after Dawn." Wesley must have been close because less than a minute later Wesley said, "She's gone Angel and Spike's unconscious."

**

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A/N: That's it for chapter five. Please review and let me know if you want me to keep going. Also, if you have any ideas, I'm open to hearing them so fire away.**


	7. Author's Note

**Author's Note: **Chapter six is on the way. While I was on vacation this summer, I crashed my bike and broke two bones in my arm and one in my wrist. I broke the scaphoid, which is considered the third worst bone to break (the skull and spine are one and two). I was in a cast for 4 ½ months and then needed six weeks of physical therapy and I'm still not back to full strength, but at least I can type again. As long as I don't get writer's block, the next chapter should be up in a couple days, a week at the most.

Sorry for the huge gap. I'll try to update on a more regular basis in the future.


	8. Elevator Talk

Chapter 7: Elevator Chat

After Wesley assured Angel he'd call him when something new came up, he hung up.

"Angel, is Dawn really my sister?" Buffy asked.

"That's a complicated question." Angel said.

"How can it be a complicated question? Either she's my sister or she isn't." Buffy said.

"It's a long story Buffy." Angel said.

"Give me the cliff notes version." Buffy said.

"Alright, two years after I moved to L.A., there were these monks and their job was to protect this mystic ball of energy from getting in the hands of this goddess Glory, who'd use it to open all gateways between all worlds. They knew they couldn't protect it forever so they turned into the form of a person. They sent her to the one person they knew would protect it with her life, the Slayer. They changed your memories, everyone's memories and for a while you never suspected anything. But--" Angel began but Buffy cut him off.

"We found out. She was made out of my blood so after Glory used her blood open the gateway, I jumped in because it was the only way to close it. Oh, god, Angel. How could I forget Dawn is my sister. We have to find her." Buffy said.

"We will, I promise. Then, we'll make every son of a bitch that had a hand in this pay." Angel said.

"Angel?" Buffy asked a few minutes later, breaking the silence of the elevator.

"Yeah?" Angel asked.

"How do you go on every day, knowing what we had that day, what we could've had?" Buffy asked.

"It's hard, some days all I think about is what we shared that day, how happy we were, how perfect the day was. But then I remind myself it wasn't real, if I'd stayed human you would've died, we both would've died, and then the Mohra would've have succeeded in taking a Champion, two champions from our cause." Angel explained.

"But I did die, Angel, I've died twice since then and once before that. You, of all people should know that death is sometimes just the beginning. I just don't understand how you could've done that without talking to me first." Buffy said.

"I didn't tell you I was going to see the Oracles because I knew you'd be able to convince me not to. And I thought that was the only thing I could do to keep you safe, keep you alive. I was wrong and I'm sorry." Angel said.

"Your son Connor seems like a good kid." Buffy said, trying to break the eerie silence that had developed in the elevator.

"Yeah, no thanks to me." Angel muttered.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"My son is murdering physcopath and he hates my guts. When he isn't off killing vampires or trying to kill me, he's holding people hostage in a department store, with a bomb strapped to himself and Cordy. He almost killed Cordy and himself, so when the Senior Partners offered to give him a normal life, a happy life, I said yes, without even considering what other options I had.

As Cordy put it, 'I gave my son up to my worst enemies and let them rape the memories of my friends who trust me.' She was right, I never should have done it. Now all of his real memories are all mixed up with his fake memories and he's probably even more screwed up than he was before.

I mean, what kind of parent am I? I let Wesley kidnap my son. Then Wesley's throat was slit and Connor was kidnapped again. I tried to kill Wes because I blamed him, would have succeeded too, if Gunn and Fred hadn't stopped me. Then I let Holtz take him and raise him in a hell demonison where he never even celebrated his birthday. He just killed demons, all the time. That's my son, 'The Destroyer'. Darla sacrificed her life so he could live, and I screwed everything up. I don't have any friends left I haven't tried to kill."

"Well, neither do I. I guess that's the price of being a hero. 'Save the World at the risk of your friends lives.' Your not perfect, Angel, nobody is, and nobody expects you to be perfect. You did the best you could for your son. You did what you thought was right at the time. You stopped him from killing Cordy and himself. Besides, he's not the only teenager who loves killing things. He's just better at it than most of them." Buffy said.

"Your not mad that Darla's his mother?" Angel asked.

"How can I be? I was sleeping with Spike." Buffy said.

"Thanks for reminding me. That's what I really needed to hear." Angel said.

"Sorry, but you know what I meant." Buffy said.

"Yeah, I know." Angel said.

Angel's cell phone rang and he quickly answered it.

"Angel, it's Gunn." Gunn said.

"Gunn, I thought you were working on getting us out of my elevator?" Angel asked.

"I was, I am. There was this loud ringing noise a minute ago and then all of a sud, a bright flash, and boom, I got all my memories back of when Connor was a baby and Jasmine and all that other crap. I just talked to Wes, I thought he'd be pretty pissed that you tried to kill him, but he didn't seem to care. Either whoever is smacking this mojo on us is messing with his mind, or he's just being really English about it." Gunn said.

"Alright, thanks for the head's up. Any word on when the power's coming back on?" Angel asked.

"Yeah, they say it should be any minute." Gunn said. A few seconds later the lights came back on and the elevator powered up.

"Good work Gunn. Get everyone together in the conference room, I want a meeting in ten minutes to discuss our situation. We got to figure out who's doing this and why." Angel said.

"You want Spike in this Pow-Wow too?" Gunn asked.

Angel sighed and said, "Yeah, he cares a lot about Dawn. We could use his help. Maybe he saw who took her."

"You got it." Gunn said and then hung up.

Ten minutes later everyone was in the conference room when Angel and Buffy walked in.

"Alright, here's the plan. Buffy, Spike, and I will hit the streets, see if we can pick up a trail. Gunn, you and Lorne try all your contacts who might know something. If they know, I want to know. Willow, Wes, and Fred hit the books. I want a list of all the demons and warlocks powerful enough to do all this memory altering stuff." Angel said.

"What about me Boss?" Harmony asked.

"Get everyone coffee." Angel said.

"Got it, Bossy. I mean, boss." Harmony replied.

"Will, call Giles. Tell him we need him, Xand, Faith, and any slayers he can spare to get on the next flight to L.A. Robin can come too, as long as he Faith can keep him away from Spike. Make sure you tell Andrew he's not allowed to come." Buffy added.

"Alright, you all now what to do. Get to work." Angel said.

**TBC**


	9. Nobody Listens

A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in over six months. There's really no excuse other than I kinda forgot about this story. Hopefully, you'll will forgive me and enjoy this next chapter. It's much shorter than usual but I promise the next chapter will be longer, and up soon. As always, any and all feedback is welcome.

As soon as they hit the streets, Angel, Spike, and Buffy immediately started the search for Dawn.

Neither Spike nor Angel had any trace of Dawn, but after walking a few blocks Angel got a whiff of a scent he'd recognize anywhere, Connor.

Spike must've noticed it too, because he came to a sudden stop, causing Buffy to nearly run into him.

"What is it? Do you smell her?" Buffy asked as she watched Angel and Spike try to find something.

Angel and Spike, however, were focusing on tracking Connor, and didn't answer.

They both walked a few yards further down the block until they reached the opening of an alley, and then they took off running down it.

They arrived at Connor just in time to see him dust two vampires, while about six more moved in to attack..

Buffy, Angel, and Spike all sprang into action each taking on two vamps at once.

The six remaining vampires were all dusted within a minute.

"Hey! I was gonna do that. You ruined all my fun." Connor whined, once the vamps were dust.

"Connor, what the hell were you thinking?" Angel asked angrily.

"What dad? You told me I could go kill things." Connor said.

"_If _you were careful, Connor. How is taking on eight vampires at once careful?" Angel asked.

"Actually, there were twelve, and I was doing just fine until you all showed up and distracted me." Connor said.

"Speaking of which, what are you guys doing roaming the streets anyways?" Connor asked.

"We're looking for Dawn." Angel said.

"The chick that smells like her?" Connor asked, pointing to Buffy, who rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, she's my sister. Why? Have you seen her?" Buffy asked.

"I didn't see her, but I picked up her smell awhile ago." Connor said, as he brushed the vamp dust off himself.

"Connor, listen to me, this is really important. Where exactly were you when you smelled her?" Angel asked.

"I don't know exactly, but I think I could find it again. Why did something happen to her?" Connor asked.

"Yeah, some ponce kidnapped the little bit, Junior." Spike said.

"Oh, well it was back this way." Connor said as he started walking down the alley, with Angel, Buffy, and Spike right behind him.

For a good half hour, Angel, Spike, and Buffy followed Connor as he worked he way backwards.

They were all so focused on finding Dawn, there was very little conversation going on.

Finally, when Buffy was just about to tell Angel she thought his kid couldn't do it, Connor finally came to a sudden stop.

"Here, do you smell that?" Connor asked.

"Yeah, it's fear." Angel said.

"Smells like the little bit." Spike said, pulling his hands into fists.

"Angel, are you saying Dawn's still here?" Buffy asked.

"She's either still here or just left." Angel answered.

They were standing next a large, apparently abandoned warehouse.

After hearing her little sister was possibly in the warehouse, Buffy was about to charge through the door, when Angel stopped her.

"Wait, Buffy, we need to come up with a plan." Angel said.

"I have a plan. It's called kick down the door and kill anything that moves." Buffy said.

"Except Dawn." Spike added.

"Except Dawn." Buffy repeated.

"Works for me." Spike said.

With that, Buffy quickly kicked down the door and quickly entered the warehouse, with Spike right behind her.

"God! Why does she always do that!" Angel complained.

"Connor, you stay out here. If we're not out in ten minutes, go to Wolfram & Hart and get help." Angel instructed.

"No way, I'm coming with you. I can help." Connor said, entering the warehouse.

"Does anybody ever listen to me?!" Angel said to himself as he entered the warehouse.

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as Angel entered the warehouse his thoughts of always being ignored were quickly forgotten and replaced with the sounds of a massive battle.

Angel easily followed the sounds coming from deep within the building and when he found the remains of what used to be a door in splinters he knew he was in the right place.

As his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness of the room, he spotted Spike, Buffy, and Connor all fighting several vampires and demons.

Angel jumped right in.

The huge battle lasted several minutes before it finally ended, the large warehouse room covered in piles of dust and dead demons.

Angel was the first to speak.

"Where's Dawn?" He asked, causing Buffy to panic.

"I don't know, she was right here a minute ago." Buffy said.

"Little Bit?!" Spike shouted.

"Over here" Dawn said as she stepped out from behind a large stack of boxes.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Spike asked.

"I'm fine. What are you all doing here?" Dawn asked.

"We came to get you Dawn." Buffy said.

"You had us worried sick." Spike added.

"You know who I am Buffy?" Dawn asked, confused. Buffy also detected a bit of anger in her voice, although she had every right to be angry.

"Your my sister, Dawn." Buffy said.

"But before--" Dawn started to say something but Buffy cut her off.

"I didn't know who you were before. Somebody or something I guess is more accurate, is messing with our minds, all of us. I don't what happened Dawn, one second I saw you in the kitchen and then the next second you were gone, and I was holding a bloody knife. Don't worry, Willow's doing her thing as we speak with Wesley. We're gonna get the person that's doing this to us." Buffy said, in her usual speech mode.

"This is gonna sound crazy but did you see a bunch of blue lights after you stabbed me?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, why?" Buffy asked.

"Because one second I was at Wolfram & Hart and then I was here and I saw all these blue lights. Does that mean something?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know, it's probably important though." Buffy said.

"Can all demons mess with people's minds like this?" Connor asked Angel.

"No, and we don't even know for sure it's a demon. It could be lots of things: demons, warlocks, witches, vampires. That's why we need to get back to Wolfram & Hart and see what the others have found. We need to find this thing and get rid of it before it messes with anyone else's mind." Angel said.

As Angel, Spike, Buffy, Connor, and Dawn began their trip back to Wolfram & Hart, the others at Wolfram & Hart were deep in their research.

"I can't believe you have access to every single book in the world. That's so sweet." Willow said to Wes after watching him use his source book.

"It is rather remarkable, although I highly doubt the Watcher's Council would be as pleased considering the books they keep are never supposed to leave the library." Giles said, after finding several books belonging to the Council.

"If we didn't have them, they would have been lost when the First destroyed the old Head Quarters." Wesley said.

"Yes, I realize. Has anyone found anything useful?" Giles asked.

"I've got nothing. Of course, you guys can read twice as much as me." Xander said, as he closed yet another book and tossed on the large conference table.

The book made a loud smacking noise, causing, Wes, Will, and Giles to all look at him.

Wesley noticed the cover on the book, and his face turned grim.

He carefully picked up the book, and dusted off the cover.

"Did you find something?" Willow asked.

"No, it's just this book--" Wesley said sadly

"Did I throw your favorite book?" Xander asked sarcastically.

"No, this isn't my favorite book at all. It was the last book Cordelia read before she died." Wes said.

"I'm sorry, man." Xander said, feeling like an idiot.

"Excuse me." Wes said before quickly leaving the room.

"I didn't know he and Cordy were so close." Willow said, once Wes was gone.

"Yes, it appears he's matured a lot since we knew him as Buffy's watcher." Giles said.

"Oh! I think I found something!" Willow said excitedly, shooting out of her chair.

Giles and Xander quickly joined her, while Illyria, who had been standing completely still in the far corner of the room, also moved closer.

Just as Willow was about to start explaining what she found, Angel, Buffy, Connor, Dawn, and Spike walked into the room.

"Where's Wes?" Angel asked.

"The one eyed male offended Wesley when he threw a book. Wesley said it was the last book this Cordelia read before she departed from this world." Illyria explained in her usual serious and creepy manner.

"One eyed male? There's no need for name calling." Xander said, causing Illyria to walk over to him.

"Do not mock me! I am Illyria, the Goddess of--" She said, only to be cut off by Spike.

"Pet, I thought you were through giving the I was a God who used to rule the world speech. Didn't we establish nobody cares." Spike said.

Without warning, Illyria slowed time down and punched Spike, sending him flying 20 feet across the room, right through the glass window and landing in the hall way.

"Wow, that was sweet!" Connor exclaimed.

"I can see you've been teaching your son well, Angel." Buffy commented, before leaving to make sure Spike was still undead and not a pile of dust.

"Now that we're done with pummeling Spike, can we get on with what Willow found?" Xander asked.

"Oh, right, duh." Willow said as she returned her attention to the book.


	11. Retep Srekcins

Almost Gone Chapter 11:

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long, I planned to have this up a week ago, but spending four days in the hospital kinda screwed that idea up. Just as a warning, if this chapter seems a little strange it's because I wrote it while on Oxycodone.

"What'd you find Will?" Buffy asked as she returned with a slightly limping and bloody Spike.

"A warlock called Retep Srekcins." Willow said

"Retep Srekcins? What kind of ponce came up with that name?" Spike asked, earning glares from everyone in the room.

"Would you like me to hit him again?" Illyria asked Wesley, who had followed Buffy and Spike into the room.

"Thanks, but I don't think that will be necessary." Wes answered.

Illyria nodded and returned to an empty corner of the room.

"Why doesn't she listen to me like that?" Spike complained.

"Maybe it has something to do with IQ." Xander volunteered, getting a growl from Spike.

"Boys, enough! Let Willow tell us about this Retup thing." Buffy said.

"Actually, it Retep." Wesley corrected, as he glanced down at the book Willow was holding.

"Whatever, what does it say?" Angel asked.

"Retep Srekcins is a powerful warlock who's been around for centuries. He's been in Los Angeles for the past 200 years and he's got plenty of followers, and lot's of security."

"That's great but what makes you think Retep is the one messing with all our minds?" Angel asked.

Wesley took over before Willow had a chance to keep reading.

"It says the greatest power of Retep Srekcins is his ability to alter memory. He has the ability to detect any memory that has been changed magically and for the right price, he'll do whatever his client asks him to." Wesley said, paraphrasing the text in the book.

"If this guy's so powerful how do you guys know who I am?" Dawn asked.

"And Me." Connor added, smiling at Dawn.

Willow and Wes both scanned the text, looking for an answer but they both came up empty.

"We'll keep looking." Willow said.

"If this guy preforms hits for hire, we need to figure out who hired him." Buffy said.

"And why." Angel added.

"I'm guessing it's someone who doesn't like you." Spike commented.

"That could be anyone. Angel, you should make a list of all of your enemies." Gunn said.

"That's going to be quite a long list. I'm sure you've accquired a lot of enemies in the past 250 years." Giles said.

"Yeah, but we've got to do something. We can't just sit here and wait for Retep to strike again." Buffy said.

"Where should I start?" Angel asked.

"Me." Spike offered.

"This is serious Spike." Angel said, angrily.

"Yeah, and sarcasm is my job." Xander said.

"I was dead serious, Poof. I hate you." Spike countered.

"But you don't hate me, do you?" Dawn asked.

"Of course not, Bit. I could never hate you." Spike said.

"Than I think we can cross you off the list." Willow said.

"That's a very good point. Whoever did this to Angel, also did this to Buffy, Dawn, and Connor. We should be looking for common enemies not just Angel's." Giles said.

"Enemies? I don't have any enemies expect for you know, Glory. But she's dead." Dawn said.

"And although most vampires don't like me very much, I don't really have any enemies expect Holtz, who is also dead." Connor said.

"It's possible that whoever hired Retep was only after Angel and Buffy but going after Connor and Dawn would hurt Angel and Buffy even more." Wesley said.

"That is a very likely scenario. I agree with Wesley. We should focus our attention on Angel and Buffy." Giles said.

"But this is the first time they've seen each other in a year, Giles. Buffy's been all over the world and Angel's been here at Wolfram & Hart. How many enemies can they have in common?" Xander asked.

"Maybe it's someone you pissed off when you were in Sunnyhell, Captain Forehead." Spike said.

"But why would they wait so long to get their revenge?" Willow asked.

"This is why I don't try and be helpful. You all always shoot my ideas down." Spike said.

"Will is just trying to figure out who did this." Xander said.

"Perhaps it is an angry lover." Illyria said, causing all eyes to turn to her.

"Come again?" Gunn asked.

"Angel and the Slayer were lovers. Perhaps they share an angry lover." Illyria said.

"How does she know we dated?" Buffy asked Angel.

"I don't know, she just does that." Angel answered.

"You are lusting after each other." Illyria said.

"Wait a minute!" Angel said "Hold it right there! Buffy said at the same time.

"Why don't you two go at it so I can stake him." Spike suggested.

"Shut up, Spike!" Buffy and Angel said at the same time.

"Illyria could have a point. You guys did have a very unique relationship. Not many people supported a slayer dating a vampire." Wesley said.

"So basically, we have nothing." Dawn said.

"No, we don't have anything. We have the name of the Warlock who did the memory mojo madness and we scratched Spike off the list. That's definitely something." Xander said.

"Xander, please. This really isn't the time for jokes." Giles said.

"We should split up and start working on finding common enemies that have the resources to use this Retep guy." Gunn said.

"Wes, Will, and Giles, you guys should keep up the research front. Keep looking for any more info on Retep, let us know if you find anything." Buffy said.

"Will do." Willow said, as she grabbed another book from one of several heaps spread throughout the room.

"The rest of us should work on coming up with any and all common enemies. We'll have more room in my office." Angel said.

"Dawn, you've had a busy night. You should try and get some rest." Buffy told her sister.

"I'm not a little kid, Buffy. I don't need nap time." Dawn said.

"No, Buffy's right. You and Connor don't need to be here for this. Connor why don't you show Dawn to my apartment. You guys can watch some TV or whatever." Angel said.

"Cool." Connor and Dawn said at the same time.

**TBC**

A/N 2: I know Retep Srekcins is kinda weird sounding so I felt like explaining it even though I'm sure nobody cares where I came up with the name. It's actually the name of my 11 year old cat Snickers Peter spelled backwards. As always, I love to know what you thought of this chapter, especially one written while on major pain medication. _Hint. Hint. Hint._


	12. Dead End?

A/N: I know I said this wouldn't be a Connor/Dawn fic, but since so many people have asked for it, I've decided to give it a try. While it certainly won't be the main focus, there will be some interesting Connor/Dawn moments in the chapters to come. Also, just to let you know, I'm planning to make this story around 15 chapters long.

With only Wesley, Willow, and Giles hitting the books, Angel's large office quickly began to fill up.

They actually spent around twenty minutes simply trying to figure out who would sit where.

Once everyone was settled in their seats (With Illyria standing against a wall, like she always did) Xander was the first to break the awkward silence that had filled Angel's office.

"Is anybody else hungry, cuz I'm starving." He said.

Several sets of eyeballs turned to him and he almost regretted speaking until Buffy saved him.

"Xander's right, we haven't eaten in hours. Angel, what's good around here?" Buffy asked.

"Uh, I really don't know considering my main course consists of Pig's Blood with Otter." Angel said.

Lorne quickly stepped up, however.

"Angelcakes, you've got to get a life. Just because you need blood to sustain life that doesn't mean you can't try other things. I recommend a little place downtown called Wong Foo's. They're specialty is Chinese, but they've got a little bit of everything. You can get Mac & Cheese, Pizza, they've even Peanut Butter and Jelly." Lorne said.

"Peanut Butter and Jelly?" Illyria questioned, cocking her head to the side as she looked at Lorne.

"It's a classic sandwich, Blue Bird. I'll order one for you to try. After all, Angelcakes gets the tab." Lorne said.

Illyria didn't say anything, just continued to stare at Lorne. Finally after a few minutes, she spoke.

"I am going to assist Wesley with the research. I do not wish to be around these beings." Illyria said.

"Sounds good. Can you get us some menus?" Buffy asked, once Illyria was gone.

"Of course. Gunn, you wanna give me a hand?" Lorne asked.

"Sure. Just make sure to stay away from the Seven Organ Soup. It'll mess you up for days." Gunn informed everyone before going after Lorne to find the menus.

"Now that we have dinner resolved can we get back to work? I for one don't want to have to deal with Retep and whoever hired him any longer than I have to." Angel said sarcastically.

"No, you just want us all to starve to death." Spike shot back.

"You don't even need food Spike!" Angel said angrily.

"Doesn't mean I won't it, especially if your paying for it." Spike said.

"I'm not paying for anything that goes into your mouth that isn't holy water." Angel said.

"Boys, that's enough. Do you guys need to separated or can we act like grown-ups and get along?" Buffy asked, silencing the two arguing vampires.

"So what enemies do we have in common?" Buffy asked Angel once she was sure his little spat with Spike was over.

"The First is the only one that comes to mind." Angel said after taking several minutes to think.

"Enemies that aren't dead." Buffy told Angel.

"Then I can't think of any. What are your brilliant ideas?" Angel asked, feeling like he was the only one actually doing work.

"Don't get smart with me, I'm just trying to help." Buffy said.

"Then why don't you come up with some ideas of your own instead of shooting all of mine down?" Angel asked.

"Fine." Buffy told Angel angrily.

"Good." He responded.

"Well, that was buckets of fun. We're making some great progress." Xander said.

"Xander." Buffy said, clearly a warning.

"Fine, I'm shutting up now." Xander replied.

Four hours passed, and they had made little, if any, progress, adding some much unwanted frustration on top of everyone's exhaustion.

Their biggest accomplishment was eating dinner, which obviously wasn't much of an accomplishment at all.

There were books and notepads all over the place in Angel's office, but only one notepad had any useful information. Angel and Buffy had managed to come up with a list of four people who at one point or another, had been enemies to both of them.

Spike was at the top of the list, followed by Harmony, Andrew, and finally... Faith, who just a few years earlier would have been at the top of the list.

They certainly weren't proud of the list, knowing none of them could be the person that hired Retep, but they needed to feel as though they'd accomplished something, however small it may seem.

As it was rapidly approaching midnight, people were finally starting to turn in for the night.

Lorne had been the first to call it a night, followed by Spike, but not before informing everyone he was going out for booze and he'd be back as soon as he was sober enough to walk.

As the night turned into the wee hours the morning, the crew got smaller and smaller until eventually only Buffy and Angel were awake. They were finally alone around 4:00 am.

"We have to be missing something!" Buffy said angrily as she slammed yet another book closed.

"We'll figure it out, Buffy." Angel said.

"When? We Retep kills all of us?" Buffy asked angrily.

"Maybe we should try a different approach." Angel suggested.

"What?" Buffy asked, eagerly.

"I don't know, yet. I'm still working on it. But this obviously isn't working." Angel said.

"You think?!" Buffy asked angrily.

"Hey, I'm not the one doing this to us." Angel said.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just exhausted." Buffy said, letting out a long sigh.

"You should get some sleep. Maybe a few hours of rest will do you some good and you'll be able to think of more stuff tomorrow." Angel said.

"Angel, I can't sleep. As much as I would love to shut my eyes for even a few minutes I can't because I know Retep is still out there. Angel, he's not just after me, he's after my sister. I can't sit here and do nothing knowing Dawn's life is in danger. You wouldn't understand." Buffy said.

"Wouldn't I? Retep isn't just after you and Dawn, you know? He's after me and he's after my son. I promised his mother I would never let anything happen to him. I've already broken that promise enough, I'm not going to do it again. Evil's already taken Cordy and Fred away from. There's no way in hell I'm going to let it take my son... or you." Angel said.

"Aw, that was some deep stuff. Hey, I hear something nasty's gonna go down here. Mind if I join the party?"

Angel and Buffy quickly turned to face the unexpected intruder.

"Faith," was all either of them could manage to say.


	13. Rock the Vote

Hello all! I'm sorry to say this isn't an update (yet) but with your help, it could be very soon!

Please go to my poll and vote on which of my stories you would like to see updated first. I won't wait long, only until my 18th birthday (which is **December 4)** because I want to start writing which story has the most votes so I can get it posted by my brother's 21st birthday (which is **December 14**)

So the story which has the most votes when I close the poll on December 4th will get a new chapter posted for their story by December 14th.

I am posting this exact message on every one of my stories so if you want _this one _to be updated, please visit my profile and vote today. This isn't me asking for reviews I just can't decide which story to update first so I'm letting you, my loyal readers decide!

Thanks in advance,  
**luckyducky09** formerly **charmedbabywyatt**


	14. Five by Five

"Faith" Angel repeated once the initial shock wore off. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see Faith, he considered her a good friend, but he wasn't expecting to see her anytime soon. He didn't even know how she knew he worked at Wolfram & Hart.

"Angel, B. What's up?" Faith asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing Faith. I thought you and Robin were taking a vacation together?" Buffy asked.

"We were until my spidey senses started tingling." Faith said

"Spidey senses?" Angel asked, clearly confused.

"You've never seen the movie Spiderman?" Buffy asked in shock.

"I think I read a comic about Spiderman once a couple decades ago." Angel answered.

"My god, Angel. You've got to stop brooding all the time and live a little. What was the last movie you saw in theaters?" Faith asked.

"The Wizard of Oz. Why?" Angel asked.

Buffy and Faith simply looked at each other and shared a laugh.

"I know I'm usually the last one to spoil the fun, but I'm interested in hearing everything you know about whatever evil thing is messing with my first vacation since... well, ever." Faith said.

"Unfortunately, you haven't exactly come at a great time. We've hit a dead end and decided to let everyone crash for a few hours. I'm pretty sure Angel and I are the only two people up at this hour." Buffy explained.

"That's cool with me. I've never been much of a people person anyway." Faith said.

"I'm gonna go get those books Wes and Giles were looking at in Wesley's office. Make yourselves at home, I'll be right back." Angel said before quickly and quietly heading to his private elevator.

"Damn. Angel's got a sweet crib. Check out the flat screen TV. Think he's got any beer?" Faith asked as she plopped herself onto one of Angel's leather couches across from his TV.

"I think there's some left in his mini-fridge." Connor said as he entered Angel's living room.

"Junior, long time no hand to hand. I like the new hair do. Makes you look all grown up. How old are you now anyway? 18?" Faith asked.

"21. Hence me knowing where Angel keeps the booze. Actually, I think most of the booze is Spike's but Angel"

"Hold on just a minute, Junior. Did you say Spike? As in burned to a pile of ashes when we kicked the First's ass back to hell, Spike?" Faith asked.

"The First what?" Connor asked, clearly confused.

"Evil. It's a long story." Buffy said.

"B, he just said something about Spike. You don't think it's odd he even knows about Spike?" Faith asked.

"Right, forgot to mention this but Spike's back. Apparently his ashes was sent to Angel as a gift after our battle and he became a ghost." Buffy said.

"No way! Spike as Casper, this I gotta see! He around?" Faith asked.

"Probably, but there's nothing to see anymore. He's corporal again.

"Damn, so much for that idea. Guess we're raiding the booze Junior. B, you want anything?" Faith asked.

"No. Beer and Buffy equals Bad!" Buffy said, simply.

"Right. More for me then." Faith said as he followed Connor into an ajoining room which was definitely a kitchenette.

"So, Faith. How have you been?" Connor asked as grabbed a six pack out of the fridge and handed one to Faith.

"Five by five. You?" Faith asked.

"Um, good." Connor replied.

The pair returned to Angel's living room with the entire six pack and took seats on opposite ends of Angel's couch.

"Sure you don't want one B?" Faith asked, pointing to the beer.

"I'm good. Thanks." Buffy said.

"How big is this place?" Faith asked.

"Pretty damn big. Place is like a rat maze. I've been here for days and I still can't find my way to the bathroom without getting lost." Buffy explained.

"Think that's what happened to Angel? He got lost?" Faith asked.

"No, I think it's much more likely he ran into spike and they're beating the crap out of each other. They're acting like a bunch of a little girls." Buffy said.

"We do not act like a bunch of little girls!" Angel exclaimed as he walked into his living room.

"Actually, Dad, you kinda do." Connor said.

"Are you drinking my beer?!" Angel asked when he caught a sight of the can in his son's hand.

"It was her idea!" Connor said, pointing to Faith.

"Nice goin' Junior. It may have been my idea but I never would have known where to look if you hadn't shown me where Angel keeps his secret stash. Oh, on that note can I just say EW! You really need to keep your booze and blood in separate refrigerators." Faith said.

"I don't care whose idea it was or who showed who the way, I _do _care that _my underage _son is drinking beer." Angel said, as he walked over to the couch and grabbed the can of beer from Connor's hand.

"Underage? You told me you were 21!" Faith said angrily.

"I rounded up. I'll be 21 in 5 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days." Connor explained.

"Oh, well never mind Junior. I guess I won't yell at you or need to beat the crap out of you ... again. You're close enough. Angel you should chill and let the kid have some beer. It's better to let them get so drunk one time that they'll never want to drink again. That's what most of the Potentials-- I mean former Potentials told me about our night at the Bronze anyway." Faith explained.

"Can we please try and stay on topic for ten minutes!" Buffy yelled, finally getting everyone in the room to shut up for a change.

"Thank you! Angel, fill in Faith on Retep. I'm going to try and get a few hours of shut eye. I don't feel like getting lost in this rat maze one more time so I'm gonna borrow your bedroom. I'm sure you'll be able to find somewhere else to sleep!" Buffy said angrily before disappearing into Angel's bedroom.

"Dude, she's pissed! What'd you do to her Angel?" Faith asked.

"Faith, please. I haven't slept in over 3 days and neither has Buffy. Dawn was stabbed and then kidnapped and it's been a chaotic couple of days. We think we know the warlock behind the attacks against us but not who hired him or why." Angel explained.

"Alright, so tell me about this warlock."

"His name is Retep Srekcins and--"

"Angel, I don't mention to interupt but there's a big, ugly ass looking evil thing standing behind you. Please tell me you have some weapons up here!"

**TBC**

**A/N: I know there really wasn't anything knew in this chapter but I haven't watched Buffy or Angel in years so I thought I'd use a filler chapter to get back into the writing mood. **


	15. Chapter 15

To all of my loyal readers:

I have not forgotten about _any_ of my stories not marked complete, which means all of them except for one. I will admit I have no immediate plans to finish "All in the Family" as I don't really like anything about that particular story at the moment.

In addition to being a freshman at College of Art & Design, I am also in the process in moving for the first time in my entire life. For the last several weeks, what little spare time I did have, was spent packing box after box and cleaning room after room. The man I'm moving in with (who is doing all the repairs and painting on my house) says it should be about 10 more days, but my mother says he is a little too optimistic with his time frame.

Not only do flu viruses spread like wild fire in college, I've learned computer viruses do as well. My gateway computer purchased less than a year ago has been non-operational for months now (which contained at least two nearly completed chapters) and weeks after I officially declared it a piece of shit, computer experts confirmed it was indeed a lemon. Then I was able to get my old 2002 dell working, and only days later a flashdrive infected with a virus from my school kicked it's already weak ass once and for all. I've got a computer now, but have almost no time to plot, write, edit, and upload chapters for my stories. Case in point, I'm on a computer for the first time since this weekend and have nearly 200 e-mails to go through in my "spare time".

During some boring classes this week my muse started working again and I started writing down everything that was spewing out of my brain. Unfortunately, my muse decided after seeing George Clooney and Julianna Margulies kiss at the Golden Globes, it made me realize just how much I missed ER, especially Doug and Carol's mysterious relationship. Then, after seeing a re-run of Bones on TNT with FBI director Sam Cullen(portrayed by the amazing actor John M. Jackson), I suddenly remembered how I always wanted to write a story based on the idea that Sam Cullen was in fact, JAG's Admiral AJ Chegwidden. Despite one article's claim that "people are finally starting to realize NCIS isn't their grandfather's JAG" JAG was an incredible show that deserves a hell of a lot of credit for it's ten amazing seasons which lead to its spin-off NCIS which led to a spin-off itself of NCIS: LA.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that I'm hopeful now that my muse has gotten some ER and JAG out of its system, it will return to my most recent stories "Seeing Life Differently" and "Semper Fi in the Scarecrow".

To anyone who still reads my Angel story "Almost Gone" I have some really good news. I've recently been watching both Buffy and Angel DVDs on a regular basis which has gotten me reacquainted with the characters and has restored my faith (no pun intended) that I can and will finish this story. It will take me a little longer to update "Almost Gone" but it is absolutely on my to-do list in the coming weeks.

I have one final thing for the readers of my "Semper Fi" story. I have been considering changing the way I write/upload it slightly. I'm thinking about writing two separate documents, one for NCIS, one for Bones, hopefully to clarify some things about the opposite show and have a little more interaction with the characters of each specific show. It would be the exact same story line, probably have the same verbal dialogue, but the thoughts and interactions of the characters would vary slightly. In order to keep it fair, I would wait until both sides are finished and post them at the same time. This would mean updates will take me about 1.5 times longer to post so I want your input. Please tell me: keep it one or split it up!!!!!

Thanks everyone,

Luckyducky09


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